IAMAW · Contract Administration, Enforcement & Committees

Contract Administration Framework

The National Airlines CBA provides the clearest public map of how IAMAW contract administration works for this flight-attendant group. The structure is layered: base-level representatives handle local matters, shop stewards and employees raise grievances, the General Chair or designee investigates and escalates unresolved matters, and the district-level grievance machinery provides formal review.

This means the most important member-facing enforcement work is not abstractly “national.” It is base-level and district-administered.

Base-Level Grievance Handling

The agreement states that the Company and the Union will each designate representatives at each base where employees covered by the agreement are employed, and those representatives are empowered to settle all local grievances.

That makes base-level representation the first line of contract administration. Members begin where disputes arise, not at the highest union office.

Shop Stewards and Early Dispute Resolution

For contract-related grievances, the agreement requires the Shop Steward or employee to make every reasonable effort to first discuss the matter with the employee’s immediate supervisor and try to arrive at a satisfactory settlement.

If that effort does not resolve the issue, the Shop Steward may file a grievance and move the matter into the formal process. This is one of the clearest member-service pathways in the public record.

General Chair and District-Level Enforcement

The General Chair or designee is the central district-level enforcement figure in the National Airlines contract. The agreement provides that the General Chair or designee may, with proper notice, enter company departments and facilities for the purpose of investigating grievances and disputes arising under the agreement.

If a contract-related grievance is not resolved at the lower stage, the General Chair or designee may appeal it to the Grievance Review Board. In disciplinary cases, the General Chair or designee may also carry the appeal to the next company level and then onward to arbitration if needed.

Grievance Review Board

The contract establishes a Grievance Review Board process to be used as needed at the request of either party, but at least three times per year unless the parties agree otherwise.

IAM participation: two representatives of the IAM District Office, consisting of a General Chair and designee.
Company participation: two company representatives.
Function: review grievances that have been filed and processed forward during the preceding period and attempt good-faith resolution.

This is one of the strongest public signals that District 142 is not just symbolic for National Airlines. District-office personnel are written directly into the contract’s grievance machinery.

Arbitration and the System Board of Adjustment

The contract goes beyond informal and district-level review. It establishes a System Board of Adjustment under the Railway Labor Act to decide disputes or grievances that arise under the agreement after the contractual procedures have been exhausted.

The Board is composed of a Company member, a Union member, and a neutral referee. The agreement also provides that disputes may be submitted by the General Chair of the Union or designee, which again places district-administered representation at the center of enforcement.

What This Means for Member Service

Base level: local representatives are empowered to settle local grievances.
Shop-steward level: grievances are first raised and discussed close to the worksite.
District level: the General Chair and District Office representatives drive formal grievance review.
System level: unresolved disputes can move to arbitration and the System Board of Adjustment.

This is a practical, layered enforcement system. It combines local problem-solving with district-administered escalation and formal RLA machinery.

Structural Implications

National Airlines contract enforcement is not purely local and not purely international; it is centered on base-level representation plus District 142 escalation.
The General Chair and District Office are written directly into the grievance process.
The strongest documented “committee-like” enforcement body in the public contract is the Grievance Review Board.
For CrewSignal readers, the key IAMAW service question is whether District 142 and its grievance machinery are adequately funded and responsive for this carrier.